Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera Returns With New 4K Video Powers

Announced five years ago, Blackmagic’s original Pocket Cinema Camera was a compact video shooter that delivered RAW 1080p recording in a body perfect for stuffing in your jacket. Fans of the original will be happy to know the company’s finally got a successor, unsurprisingly named the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. As the name suggests, it’s bringing 4K recording (4096 x 2160) to the mix, along with a redesigned body, support for either 10-bit ProRes or 12-bit RAW recording, and forward-looking connectivity options perfect for videographers looking to tote as little gear as possible.

Image: Blackmagic

The new camera is built out of carbon fibre, and uses a larger Micro Four Thirds image sensor compared to the last Pocket Cinema. It also has a 5-inch touchscreen that lets you control a variety of settings without fiddling with dials (though you can if you want).

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K is cheaper than the £2,200 Panasonic GH5s, another mirrorless camera capable of recording 4K RAW footage, and it’s packed with a variety of ports, including USB-C (which lets you record to an external SSD), as well as compatibility with SD, UHS-II, and CFast 2.0 cards. There’s no in-body stabilisation, which is a downside unless you’re shooting with a lens with built-in image stabilisation, or you’re shooting on with a stabilising gimbal or tripod. That’s a fair assumption considering the professional target audience for this camera.

Image: Blackmagic

Whether or not this camera is suitable for you depends on what you’re using it for. You can capture some pretty high-quality 4K footage on mirrorless cameras already, though, you’ll be missing out on the range of editing options afforded in post-production when dealing with uncompressed video footage. It could also serve as a “cheap” addition to your existing film setup, in case you need an extra camera to capture some high-quality B-roll footage.

In short, a camera that records uncompressed video in the form of ProRes or RAW footage is incredibly useful, especially when it’s under £2,000. Sure, you should probably pair it with a nicer Micro Four Thirds lens but you’re a professional, you’ve probably got one layin’ around somewhere.